Capello Brothers 3 Train My Heart by J'aimee Brooker Page A

clear his mind.
For this visit to be useful, he'd need to go in with an open mind
and make judgment as a grown man not as the petrified and naïve
little boy he was when he last saw his father.
    Having stopped
at a small greengrocer on his way north to Arquino, Luca had done a
small shop and stocked up on essentials for his stay. As the road
wound its way through the hillside, the houses became scarce and
the roads narrower. He was almost there.
    Surely
not, Luca thought as he pulled into the overgrown driveway. "This cannot be the place" he spoke aloud as stepped out of
the car and looked back in the direction he'd just come. Looking
over his mother's directions, he mentally checked off the landmarks
she'd written: go past the last house on the right, drive across
the bridge overlooking the creek, it's the first house on your
left.
    Luca
side-stepped through the overgrown weeds and trees that were
strangling the path to the house, the old place looked unlivable.
Though his mother had assured him otherwise, it dawned on Luca that
it was possible his father had moved on. He still wasn't convinced
that this was even the right place—it was nothing like he
remembered.
    Walking to the
back of the property, Luca could see into the house and recognized
the old kitchen; this is the place he smiled to himself. The old
stove stood in the corner as it always had, and a small wooden
bench that he recalled watching his father build sat just to the
left.
    On closer
inspection, he realized that what was once a place of comfort and
togetherness now housed just a single wooden chair being held
together with bounds of twine. Other than clutter and mess, the
kitchen was completely bare. Plates of half-eaten meals stacked on
the bench provided the only clue that the house was still lived in;
there were no photos, no personal belongings, nothing. So, he's
still here.
    A sheet of tin
stood precariously as Luca rounded the perimeter of the house.
Feeling instantly guilty that no one was around to help keep the
place tidy, Luca pushed and pulled to jimmy the tin out of its
place and set aside somewhere safer. As it came away, Luca stilled;
the world around him slowed and he could hear each beat of his
racing heart. This was where Roman and Dominic used to hide him,
where he used to listen for the screaming and shouting to subside;
the crying he learned took longer to stop.
    The first night
that Roman had hidden him and Dominic here he had made them promise
to stay put until he came for them. He and Dom had sat there for
what seemed like hours, Luca crying uncontrollably at first, scared
and confused until Dominic had warned him to be quiet or their
hiding spot would be discovered. Later that night, they'd heard
heavy footsteps circling the house; afraid they'd been found out
Dom had pushed Luca further under the house resolute to take the
punishment himself, when the weary and concerned face of their
neighbor, Joseph Giavinni, came into focus. Having heard the
prolonged shouts and screaming, Giavinni had come to help. After a
brief tussle that rendered their father incapacitated, he then
helped bandage Ma and Roman before heading out to find Dominic and
Luca. From that night on, their father's temper worsened, and
Dominic would hide Luca first then head back into the affray to
help Roman.
    "CHI SEI?"
boomed the familiar voice behind him. Who are you?
    Steadying
himself, Luca turned to face his father, "Papà, sono io Luca". Dad, it's me Luca.
    "I know no
Luca" his father replied resolutely in broken English.
    "Tuo figlio,
Luca". Your son, Luca.
    "Vada via!" Go away! came the mumbled replied, before he turned
unsteadily and walked away from Luca and into the house.
    Go away? He'd just flown from the other side of the world to see him and
this was the greeting he received? Storming after him, Luca caught
his father's arm as he walked through the front door.
    "Vada via?
Really? That's what you say to a son you've not seen in decades?"
Luca